Get the cayman. It's a sportier car in a brand new body style. The m3 is starting to show its age, although it still has one of the most magnificent engines and transmissions (dct) in production today and still a hoot to drive. But given the choice id go with the cayman.

They are very different cars. Depends on your wants/needs. Plenty of threads comparing the Cayman and M3 if you search.

I drove the 2012 Cayman S extensively before making my decision for the M3. The Cayman has a ton of strong points (handling, manual tranny, etc), but to me it felt unpractical and underpowered after stepping out of the M3.

Are you planning to DD the car? That might help your decision as well.

Another thing to consider is that new models always have a few kinks to work out...if you do some research, you'll find that early Caymans had quite a few issues. A roll of the dice...I'd personally wait until mid-cycle at least (or for the new R).

1. Engine is a monster
2. I like having back seats
3. Cayman S is going to run you a few bucks more once i optioned it out
4. Couldn't fit the golf clubs in the cayman

I did enjoy the ride more on the porsche tho.. sorry m3-ers....

+1, for me it came down to feeling what a flat 6 was like vs. the V8. The Cayman (even the one now) has a great steering feel no question. Also, the Cayman optioned out adequately puts it in another price level.

Almost?? I think it, hands down, looks better than the 911. Next to the AM Vantage, it is one of the nicest looking coupes on the road today. Other than power, it a superior performance car in every way over the 911 and the M3. So....if you can live with a car that has two seats, less luggage space and is 0.5 seconds slower to 60mph, then Cayman all the way. if you can not, get the M3.

Almost?? I think it, hands down, looks better than the 911. Next to the AM Vantage, it is one of the nicest looking coupes on the road today. Other than power, it a superior performance car in every way over the 911 and the M3. So....if you can live with a car that has two seats, less luggage space and is 0.5 seconds slower to 60mph, then Cayman all the way. if you can not, get the M3.

I'm not sure this will be the case with the Cayman S. Power to weight is very good... I would bet it is similar to the M3 or faster... now the next M3, that might be different.

In favor of M3:
Last of the 8 cyl, NA M cars, get em while you can
Pulls harder than the Cayman
Great sound of the engine
More tech features standard or less money than P.
Love the ability to stream music via bluetooth, pain in the butt having to plug my phone in in the Cayman
More space for passengers and luggage.
More stealthy
No maintenance costs for 4 years (except for tires)
Much less expensive than the Cayman unless you're really stingy with options

In favor of Cayman S
Handles better
Better balanced
Better overall fit and finish
More exotic looking, draws more attention (can be a + and a -)
Better club events like DE, back country drives and Autox
Better transmission for track, PDK in sport+ holds every gear till redline
Better fuel economy (not even close), especially regarding range, M3 wouldn't be as bad if it had a bigger fuel tank, seems like I'm always filling it up.
It's a Porsche!

In favor of M3:
Last of the 8 cyl, NA M cars, get em while you can
Pulls harder than the Cayman
Great sound of the engine
More tech features standard or less money than P.
Love the ability to stream music via bluetooth, pain in the butt having to plug my phone in in the Cayman
More space for passengers and luggage.
More stealthy
No maintenance costs for 4 years (except for tires)
Much less expensive than the Cayman unless you're really stingy with options

In favor of Cayman S
Handles better
Better balanced
Better overall fit and finish
More exotic looking, draws more attention (can be a + and a -)
Better club events like DE, back country drives and Autox
Better transmission for track, PDK in sport+ holds every gear till redline
Better fuel economy (not even close), especially regarding range, M3 wouldn't be as bad if it had a bigger fuel tank, seems like I'm always filling it up.
It's a Porsche!

Good comparison... the only thing is he is considering the new Cayman which i would expect would improve on the current one in almost every way (similar to the new 911). I guess that means take what you said about the current Cayman S and add 15%

That depends.
Are you comparing it to the new Cayman?
Because no body drove the new Cayman yet.
No one know how it will compare.

Like it says in the title, he's talking about the new Cayman and like the old Cayman the new one is parcticly the same car as the boxster but with a hard top so if you want to know how it will compare, check that: